“As I understand it,” Herring said, “he’s the strongest player on our team (pound for pound). What he brought here was play strength and that’s the foundation of this game. You see a lot of guys come in and fall or falter early because they’re not able to handle the physicality of the NFL.”

Or the mental pressure. Reed concluded the best way to avoid the myriad pitfalls was through dedicated preparation. Because Phillips and Herring had coached DeMarcus Ware in Dallas, and Ware had 60 sacks in his four seasons with them – in the same system Reed was being asked to learn on the fly – he concluded without being told that being a DeMarcus Ware film buff made sense.

Besides a surfeit of muscle and brain power, Reed possesses the kind of instincts that translate into quick feet, or what Herring calls “great get-off. At the Combine, I believe he had the fastest first 10 yards of any backer in the group. Not the fastest for 40 yards, just the first 10 – when it matters.”

Herring also talked about Reed’s “linebacker body.”

“That’s where people get discombobulated with him,” Herring said. “Look, he’s 6-2½, 250. The fact that he was playing with his hand in the dirt (the three-point stance of a defensive end) in college turned him into a ‘tweener’ to some people. But he was always a ‘Mike’ linebacker to us. Half the teams in the draft wanted him bad and the other half didn’t think he could (make the transition). We were in the half that saw the upside potential. He’s still projecting and growing as a player. The sky’s the limit.”

I was really happy with the way he played last year. He's one of those high motor/effort guys that just has a nose for the ball. Plus, he leaves it all on the field and goes balls to the wall. I think he can be a solid player for us.

__________________If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.

This is the kind of defense that can carry a team. It's like all of the years of experience in Wade's career is culminating in Houston, and they've got high motor players with strong work ethics that will pull for him. I think last year was just the beginning, and we are going to see a dominant defense that other teams fear, especially when they play at Reliant.

Our offense just needs to stay healthy and minimize mistakes. We don't need to win 'shoot out' games with a defense this badass. If our offense starts putting lots of points on the board, expect a blowout game when our D pins it's ears back and guns for the QB because they have to pass it to catch up.

STOKED!!!

__________________"Football is only a diversion." ~ Houston Texans, Inc.